In order to record short wave signals with a high output level in a magnetic recording medium such as magnetic recording tape, there has been proposed a method of using a vertical magnetizing component of the magnetic recording medium. One example of this method is to orient acicular particles in a vertical direction relative to the surface of the magnetic layer of the recording medium. However, in the process of coating the magnetic layer on a substrate and drying thereof, the magnetic particles oriented vertically tend to be laid in the horizontal direction due to compression of the magnetic layer in a thickness direction of the magnetic layer. Therefore, it is difficult to keep the magnetic particles oriented vertically after drying. In addition, according to this method, the smoothness of the surface of the magnetic layer is deteriorated.
Another method is to coat hexagonal structure barium ferrite particles having the axis of easy magnetization vertical with respect to the particle plate in such a manner that the axis of easy magnetization is oriented vertically against the surface of the magnetic layer by orienting the plate surface of hexagonal structure barium ferrite particles in parallel with the surface of the magnetic layer. This method is effective to obtain a high output level of recording in the short wave range of the signal having the wave length shorter than 1 micronmeter. However, according to the study by the present inventor, it has been found that even in the recording medium made by this method, a high output level recording can not be obtained in the long wave length range.